Sad day

[R.Markus]

HOWEVER...I suspect riding one would feel just like riding a snowmobile or ATV.  I've spent a fair bit of time on snowmobiles and ATVs over the years - all off-road obviously.  

In an off-road environment with no other traffic and no "rules of the road" I tend to ride like a complete maniac!  I mean, to me the throttle is an electric on/off switch, all starts are full on launches and every corner must be taken at full drift.  I suspect I would ride the Spyder in the same style and end up garnering performance awards...

Yep. Those "thumb" throttles are actually for tucking into your grip between your thumb and first finger. It's full throttle all the time or your stopped.  

I don't know if the Can Am has that throttle control or not, but all our snowmobiles did.

[Sport-Touring]

[arkansawyer]

I can't see the clutch and trans being a problem for a long time rider.  High weight and seat height could be the problem.
Depends on what Dad wants.  SV650, Versys, that type of bike might be the answer.

[phaze5]

I rode a canam pretty much a sled. got boring quick. hard steering i can see you going thru tires as it smokes them easy, the dealer was on a bike right in front of me so i would lag off the start and pin it and it would be at 90, i couldnt pass the dealer but there was not much left to it im sure. you cant lean not worth the 15000 imo

[1KPerDay]

That's too bad about the outriggers - what's the issue?

They're still troubleshooting it, and have been since last fall. My dad has had them fail 3 times, all during long rides (once to Banff). Once they THINK it was because a bit of gravel kicked up and got lodged in the hydraulics... once they think it was electrical (rainstorm), now they think it was the CPU and have tried another one, to no avail. They're tracing relays/wiring/etc. now.

There's an emergency procedure to get the wheels up (or down) but you need 2 people to do it and once they're up, they stay up (unless you put them down, then they have to be brought up using the emergency procedure again). So it sort of defeats the purpose of the things... in fact it's worse than nothing because of the extra weight and lack of space in one of the bags (which is semi-full of hydraulcs and stuff).

Too bad, because for a while it worked like a charm.

[atadaskew]

My mother called and asked if I was interested in my Dad's Goldwing. Seems he has decided he's "too old" (just turned 70) to ride anymore and wants to get rid of it?? Maybe I can talk him into something smaller to keep him on two wheels, he's been at it a long time.

I'll be the voice of disent here.  I would never encourage anyone to get into riding who didn't want to do it whole heartedly.  In that vein, if your Dad has decided he doesn't want to ride anymore, then let him be.
 

[cultureslayer]

I'll be the voice of disent here.  I would never encourage anyone to get into riding who didn't want to do it whole heartedly.  In that vein, if your Dad has decided he doesn't want to ride anymore, then let him be.
 

Could be something else Dad doesn't want to mention either.  Balance issues, fear of thinning bones and a crash, etc.

[FlowBee]

 


Sorry, the imagery was calling to me.   I'd suggest a 400 Burgman, but then again it's his decision.

[MK96xj]

I'll be the voice of disent here.  I would never encourage anyone to get into riding who didn't want to do it whole heartedly.  In that vein, if your Dad has decided he doesn't want to ride anymore, then let him be.
 

Well you beat me to it.

It is great your dad rode but if he feels it is time to stop maybe he is right. We should all listen to our inner selves. It usually knows more.

Very cool pics

Give your dad a hug and let him know that riding with him meant something.

I never got the chance to ride side by side with my father.

[Kat-Rider]

Maybe a GoldWing trike?  They are stable, but you do not have the outriggers to worry about.  You still get all the features of the gold wing (power, massive trunk space, comfy ride for 2 etc)
One of my wifes friends rides a bike with the outriggers.  THey are constantly having issues with them.  Not sure if they are just junk, or if they were not installed correctly.